Washington Administrative Code
Title 220 - Fish and Wildlife, Department of
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND CONSERVATION
Chapter 220-660 - Hydraulic code rules
Section 220-660-310 - Tidal reference areas
Universal Citation: WA Admin Code 220-660-310
Current through Register Vol. 24-18, September 15, 2024
(1) Description: The department uses the following tidal reference areas to delineate segments of the state's marine shorelines. The authorized work times in saltwater areas vary by tidal reference area.
(2) Definitions for tidal reference areas:
(a) Tidal Reference Area 1
(Shelton): All saltwater areas in Oakland Bay and Hammersley Inlet westerly of
a line projected from Hungerford Point to Arcadia.
(b) Tidal Reference Area 2 (Olympia): All
saltwater areas between a line projected from Hungerford Point to Arcadia and a
line projected from Johnson Point to Devil's Head. This includes Totten, Eld,
Budd, Case, and Henderson Inlets, and Pickering Passage.
(c) Tidal Reference Area 3 (South Puget
Sound): All saltwater areas easterly and northerly of a line projected from
Johnson Point to Devil's Head and southerly of the Tacoma Narrows
Bridge.
(d) Tidal Reference Area 4
(Tacoma): All saltwater areas northerly of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and
southerly of a line projected true west and true east across Puget Sound from
the northern tip of Vashon Island.
(e) Tidal Reference Area 5 (Seattle): All
saltwater areas northerly of a line projected true west and true east across
Puget Sound from the northern tip of Vashon Island and southerly of a line
projected true east from Point Jefferson at 47°45'N. latitude across Puget
Sound. This area includes Port Orchard, Port Madison, and Dyes and Sinclair
Inlets.
(f) Tidal Reference Area 6
(Edmonds): All saltwater areas northerly of a line projected true east from
Point Jefferson at 47°45'N. latitude across Puget Sound and southerly of a
line projected true east from Possession Point to Mukilteo and from Foulweather
Bluff to Double Bluff.
(g) Tidal
Reference Area 7 (Everett): All saltwater areas northerly of a line projected
true east from Possession Point to Chennault Beach, easterly of a line
projected 5° true from East Point to Lowell Point, and southerly of the
Stanwood to Camano Island Highway. This area includes Port Gardner, Port Susan,
and parts of Possession Sound and Saratoga Passage.
(h) Tidal Reference Area 8 (Yokeko Point):
All saltwater area westerly and northerly of a line projected 5° true from
East Point to Lowell Point, north of the Stanwood to Camano Island Highway, and
easterly and southerly of Deception Pass Bridge and the Swinomish Channel
Bridge on State Route 20. This area includes Holmes Harbor, Saratoga Passage,
Skagit Bay, Similk Bay, and most of the Swinomish Channel.
(i) Tidal Reference Area 9 (Blaine): All
saltwater area in Skagit County and Whatcom County that lies northerly of the
Swinomish Channel Bridge on State Route 20 and westerly and northerly of
Deception Pass Bridge.
(j) Tidal
Reference Area 10 (Port Townsend): All saltwater area of Puget Sound as defined
in WAC 220-16-210, except Hood Canal
south of a line projected from Tala Point to Foulweather Bluff, and except all
waters defined in Tidal Reference Areas 1 through 9. Area 10 includes waters of
the San Juan Islands, Admiralty Inlet, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and
associated bays and inlets.
(k)
Tidal Reference Area 11 (Union): All saltwater area of Hood Canal southerly and
easterly of a line projected from the northern entrance of Lilliwaup Bay to the
northern entrance of Dewatto Bay.
(l) Tidal Reference Area 12 (Seabeck): All
saltwater areas of Hood Canal northerly of a line projected from the northern
entrance of Lilliwaup Bay to the northern entrance of Dewatto Bay and southerly
of a line projected true east from Hazel Point. This area includes Dabob Bay
and Quilcene Bay.
(m) Tidal
Reference Area 13 (Bangor): All saltwater area of Hood Canal northerly of a
line projected true east from Hazel Point and south of a line projected from
Tala Point to Foulweather Bluff. This area includes Port Gamble.
(n) Tidal Reference Area 14 (Ocean Beaches):
All saltwater area between Cape Flattery and the Oregon border at the mouth of
the Columbia River, excluding Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.
(o) Tidal Reference Area 15 (Westport): All
saltwater area in Grays Harbor easterly of a line projected from the outermost
end of the north jetty to the outermost end of the south jetty, and westerly of
123°59'W. longitude.
(p) Tidal
Reference Area 16 (Aberdeen): All saltwater area in Grays Harbor easterly of
123°59'W. longitude and westerly of the State Route 101 Bridge across the
Chehalis River.
(q) Tidal Reference
Area 17 (Willapa Bay): All saltwater area in Willapa Bay easterly of a line
projected from Leadbetter Point to Cape Shoalwater.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Washington may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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